Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Around the House

Our house was moved out of the floodplain two years ago, and so these beds around the house are relatively new. I had saved a lot of the plants from the old beds around the house to put in these new beds, along with seedlings, divisions, and of course, new acquisitions! These pictures were taken over the last month.

In front of the house there is 'Pee Wee' oakleaf hydrangea with an underplanting of white wood aster and catmint and a 'Potter's Purple' butterfly bush on the northwest corner. The hydrangea didn't do much at first, (I thought of replacing them with Virginia sweetspire) but they woke up and were full of flowers late this year. This bed is very straightforward, but with a lot going on everywhere else, I wanted this bed to be simple.

I have Buddleia all around the house. The south and west sides of the house are more plain than the front and east side (with the chimney), so I wanted fast-growing shrubs, and I love purple, so Buddleia seemed a natural choice.

There's a 'Petit Indigo' by the porch screen door; this and 'Potter's Purple' perfumes the entire back porch.

Looking through a 'Potter's Purple' on the west side of the house, down the path where we lead the horses to pasture. In the center and right of the picture is the ditch that runs behind the big perennial bed and by the old house site, under the grass road and by one of the horse pastures... eventually it goes to Middle Creek over a quarter of a mile away. I have planted some seedling sweet bay, swamp roses, American snowbell seedlings and Louisiana iris, as well as clearing around existing Aronia, Virginia sweetspire, and sweet pepperbush. In the foreground, where the ditch is broad, shallow and sunny, it's currently full of marsh bulrush, also known as teddy-bear paws.

A view from the front porch of the ditch and big perennial bed, as well as the beginnings of new beds. I will start putting plants into the new beds in Sept./October.

Most of those plants will come from here, the plant nursery:

Commuter daylilies (H. citrina), 'Bleu Celeste', purple coneflower, spiderwort and Mexican feather grass. In the middle is summer phlox, to the right blue mist shrub, and in the very back and to the right hibiscus and seashore mallow.

Standing in the parking area on the east side of the house, looking south -- here you can see how tall the commuter daylilies are compared to 'Lion in Winter'. They have a wonderful fragrance, especially early in the evening. These were at their peak about a month ago.

A seedling hibiscus. I think one of the parents is 'Moy Grande' or 'Anne Arundel'. At first I didn't think I was going to see any blooms. The Japanese beetles were eating all of the buds before they could even open! Then the hibiscus got ahead of the beetles and put on a good show.

'Buttered Popcorn' with Penstemon 'Midnight' and a passalong Achillea millefolium

Veronica 'Sunny Border Blue'

Trailing Heliotrope

Here is a shot taken while standing in the middle of the garden east of the house, looking down the hill at the vegetable garden and big perennial bed. Part of this bed still looks new, and is mulched with hay to keep down the bermudagrass while everything else matures.

There is a young 'Crepuscule' and an 'Alchymist' rose planted on each side of the trellis. I can't wait until those get some size. We had 'Alchymist' growing over the back door of our apartment when we lived in Chapel Hill. The flowers are full swirls of yellow, pink and apricot and are just a thing of beauty.

There's an 'Archduke Charles' and a shrub 'Old Blush' in the little bed in front of the trellis. I love those roses, but so does whatever is eating these along with the 'Climbing Old Blush', so likely I will move the 'Old Blush' to a more inconspicuous spot and put a rugosa there in the fall.

Your gardens are always lovely. I can't get over your butterfly bushes. In this area, if we can get them to survive overwinter, they only get about 3-4 feet tall and don't have a lot of branches. I tried one two years ago and the Japanese beetles promptly ate all the blooms so I gave it away, which I was kinda sad about. Marnie

My mouth is still hanging open from oooooos and awwwwwwws. Everything is breathtaking! The whole layout and everything the way you have planted your gardens is so striking to me. Oh and you are the one who moved the house. When I first started blogging I read a post about that and have tried going back looking for who it was again because I liked it so much. I thought it was you whenever I'd see pictures of your property but could never find it. Now I know! Daylilies 'Always Baroque' and 'Lavender Deal' and 'Beautiful Edging' are gorgeous. Oh and that deep colored Phlox - I bought 2 more Phlox this year and one ended up looking just like the other one I already have except it's suppose to be a lot taller.That one garden must be huge if you're standing in the middle of it. Beautiful! Love the breezy, free flowing look of it.Guess I'll pick myself back up now and get outta here.Absolutely gorgeous sweet bay!

I could have a wonderful time exploring the gardens you've created Sweetbay...So many beautiful flowers and combinations! Some I've dreamed of having growing here like sweet bay magnolias, silverbells, swamp roses...but it won't happen! You have the perfect conditions! Love Commuter Daylily, coneflowers and Buttered Popcorn together. Thank you for the delightful tour. gail

I always love seeing pictures of your garden. It's so big and you've planted it so nicely, beautiful combinations!One of the Butterfly bushes finally started to bloom here and I had to pull the flower down so I could smell it, yum!

Buddleia, love it. New for this year in my garden. Only being two years old, your garden looks very much like a English full scale cottage garden to me. Flowers all over. Seems to be a lot of purple and yellow combinations, my favoritt!.Thank you for the tour, I enjoyed it :)

I love looking at your garden too Sweet Bay and admire you for knowing how to plan out and plant that much area. I think I'd go about it in baby steps but you've done a terrific job and have such an amazing assortment of plants in such a short time. I have a few seedling trays going at the moment but not quite like yours! Love that Pee Wee Oakleaf Hydrangea. I have an Oakleaf but not the pee week. Mine is not going to bloom this season ~ too much die back last winter. :-(

Love your big expansive garden. I too have a lot of shrubs and really love them. Virginia sweetspire, by the way, is a good one! :) I didn't realize your house had been moved. Eep! Your garden looks so good despite that!

Lovely lush gardens and grounds Sweetbay... each time I clicked on I was hoping to get a glimpse of your beautiful horses! Your land is stunning with your sculpted pines and plantings and I love your porch nursery! You sure have a great deal to take care of! Good luck with your new gardens! I imagine it is sweet to be out on your porch in the early evening.

Sweetbay, your garden is outstandingly beautiful. It exuberates everything warm and summery, colours and fragrance. I grow many of the plants you cherish. You are such a hardworker to make this paradise. I know for us gardeners it is not just work, it is like a driving force to create something wonderful. At the moment I have lots and lots of self sown Agapathus seedlings which have to be planted before it is getting hot again.

Your garden is a thing of beauty. How I'd love to take a stroll through it and have you point out all those wonderful blooms in person :)Aren't the daylilies glorious? You have some beauties, and I love your huge butterfly bushes too.Your hard work is evident and you have a beautiful yard to show for it. Isn't it such a pleasure to look out the window each morning and see all those blooms?